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1971 AKG C-414 Condenser Microphone

The availability of reliable, quality Field Effect Transistors in the 1960s opened the door for replacing tube mics with compact, solid state models.

This original “C-414 comb” model had a tapered lower body; the more familiar C 414 shape arrived in 1976, with the C414 EB.

The availability of reliable, quality Field Effect Transistors in the 1960s opened the door for replacing tube mics with compact, solid state models. In 1970, AKG’s Karl Peschel took the CK 12 capsule from the C 12A Nuvistor tube mic and paired it with FET electronics, resulting in the C 412. A year later, adding a second bass rolloff position and a fourth polar pattern created the C 414 comb. (Click here to download a vintage C 414 comb datasheet.)

The AKG C414 EB

From 1974 onwards, AKG engineer Norbert Sobol supervised the C 414 design, adding numerous improvements in audio performance and features along the way. These included the C 414 EB (1976), C 414 EB-P 48 (1980), models C 414 B-ULS and –TL (1986), C 414 B-TL II (1993) and the current C 414 B-XLS and C 414 B–XL II.

With well over 100,000 sold, the C 414 remains a popular choice whether in earlier versions or the latest models—now updated with LED displays and a fifth (wide cardioid) pattern.

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